Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration
Wisconsin Shares Handbook
Child care authorizations must always be based on the parent’s need for child care while the parent is participating in their approved activity. However, when the 4K program is overseen by a public school board or a Head Start program is located at the same location and address as a licensed child care program and not at a school (as listed in CSAW), the education hours may be included in the authorized hours based on the criteria listed below. The school program provider and the licensed child care provider must have the same provider number and location number in CSAW to meet the definition of co-located.
If the school program (Head Start or 4K) is located at a different site than the licensed child care provider, the authorization must cover only the before and/or after school care outside of the school program.
The school program hours can be included in the authorized hours if all of the following are true:
The parent is engaged in his or her approved activity at least part of the school program hours;
The school program and the child care program are co-located;
The total number of hours of the child’s school program(s) is not more than four (4) hours per day; and
The total length of the child’s authorized child care day is five (5) or more hours per day (the school program hours are included in this total).
If any of these requirements are not met, the authorization must not include the school program hours.
Agency workers must ask the parent if each of the requirements are met (yes or no). Parents can self-declare the answers to these questions. Agency workers must document whether the criteria for including the education hours in the authorized hours are met in case comments (see 12.2).
| Example 1 (Different locations): Charlie attends the Head Start program located at 1256 Water Street and the licensed child care program that is located at 1536 Water Street. Charlie’s authorization is limited to the hours he will spend at the licensed child care program located at 1536 Water Street because the child care and the Head Start programs are in different locations. |
| Example 2 (Meets criteria): Dara attends a 4K program that is overseen by the local public school board and is located at the licensed child care center where she is enrolled. Dara’s parent, Savannah, needs full-time child care during her work hours. The 4K program is provided at Dara’s licensed child care center for three (3) hours per day, and Savannah indicates that the three (3) hours are entirely within her work day. Dara’s authorization may be written to include the education hours because all requirements are met. |
| Example 3 (Head Start greater than four (4) hours): Cary attends a Head Start program that is overseen by the local public school board, and that is located at the licensed child care center where she is enrolled. Cary’s parent, Victoria, needs child care 40 hours per week while she works, plus travel time. The agency worker asks follow-up questions to determine if the criteria for including Head Start education hours in the authorized hours are met. Victoria states that the Head Start program is six (6) hours per day. Cary’s authorization may only include the hours that Cary attends the licensed child care program and not the school program hours because the Head Start program hours are more than four (4) hours per day. |
| Example 4 (No overlapping schedule): Melissa attends a Head Start program that is overseen by the local public school board and is located at the licensed child care center where she is enrolled. The Head Start program hours are during the morning and Melissa’s parent works in the afternoon. She leaves Melissa at the center after the Head Start program ends through the end of her shift. Because Melissa’s parent is not engaged in her approved activity during any part of the school program hours, those hours would not be included in Melissa's authorization. |
| Example 5 (Sleep hours do not count): Josh attends a 4K program that is overseen by the local public school board and is located at the licensed child care center where he is enrolled. Josh’s parent works third shift and his is only requesting an authorization for daytime sleep hours. The authorized hours can only include the child care hours plus travel time, not the school program hours, because Josh’s parent is not in an approved activity during any part of the school program hours. |
| Example 6 (Partial overlapping schedule): Melvin attends a Head Start program that is located at his licensed child care provider. Melvin’s parent, Raquel, works 12 weekly hours. Raquel requests 25 weekly hours for Melvin’s authorization. The agency worker asks about this difference between her self-declared child care need and her verified work hours. Raquel explains that she needs child care in the morning, and then the school program starts while she is working and ends two (2) hours after she is done working. She leaves Melvin at the child care provider until the end of the program. Because Raquel works during at least some of the school program hours, the agency worker determines that this requirement is met. |
Early Head Start and 3K programs are considered regular child care and all hours can be included in the authorization if:
The Early Head Start or 3K program is co-located with the child care provider location; and
The parent is participating in their approved activity, including travel time, during the authorized hours.
This section last updated 11/1/2024